carbon x is my favorite no doubt

I always feel that there is nothing happier than getting my favorite shoes. Before this, I liked the Carbon X only because of its appearance, and its performance became secondary.

This is not my first pair of HOKA shoes. I have previously worn the Carbon Rocket, the Tracer 2, and the Clifton 6. Especially the first two racing shoes have accompanied me through countless races, big and small, and have always been one of the shoes I trust the most. I only wear them for important races such as the Wuxi Marathon, Rizhao Marathon, Shanghai Marathon, and the Yueshan to Hai Relay Race.

In the 2019 Shanghai Marathon, I was selected as one of HOKA's 300 pacers. I originally thought I would get a pair of Carbon X based on the pace, but I ended up with a pair of Clifton 6, missing the Carbon X by a hair. They say that what you long for will eventually come to you, and finally, the Carbon X came into my arms. Moreover, it was the new color scheme just released on January 1st—red, blue, and gray. With the Chinese New Year approaching, HOKA's touch of Chinese red shows their thoughtfulness.

HOKA officially entered China in 2017, using triathlons as a breakthrough point. They quickly expanded into the sports market, including marathons, trail running, and cycling races as their main battlegrounds. To further increase brand influence, they signed several well-known domestic athletes, such as Yunqiao Yun, Yungui Li, Yousheng Guan, and Bas.

As of now, the Carbon X has been released in three color schemes: the red, blue, and gray that I have, as well as blue and white, and gray and black. However, I still prefer this touch of Chinese red.

From the outer packaging alone, the product still uses the usual packaging style and design. I personally quite like the packaging color scheme of their products. The blue main color tone paired with the large white brand logo, along with the seagull symbol representing flight, gives a refreshing feeling of blue sky, white clouds, and the sea. At least, it has high recognition.

The upper of the Carbon X uses a thin and transparent single-layer engineered mesh. The mesh size is arranged in an orderly manner, providing good breathability and comfort. At the same time, the dense mesh ensures that the upper has good wrapping around the foot. One of the main reasons I like HOKA shoes is their strong wrapping. During running, the feet feel very comfortable inside the shoes and do not wobble.

To reduce the overall weight of the shoes as much as possible, the tongue of the Carbon X also uses a lightweight mesh design. To prevent shifting during exercise, the sides of the tongue are locked with elastic mesh.

From the picture below, we can roughly understand the thinness and breathability of the upper and tongue.

The lightness of the shoes is not only reflected in the upper. Efforts to reduce weight can be found in the heel, insole, and outsole. For example, the heel also reduces the filling foam, the insole is appropriately thinned, and the inner side of the outsole uses a perforated design.

The Carbon X uses a thickened dual-density CMEVA foam midsole with PROFLY X technology. Simply put, this technology arranges and combines different foams in a geometric structure, providing internal stability while offering a soft, comfortable, and flexible rebound experience. Combined with the lightweight and breathable upper, it helps runners achieve greater breakthroughs.

What is the hottest racing shoe now? Of course, it's the racing shoe with an embedded carbon fiber plate! Starting with Nike's 4%, carbon plate shoes seem to have become synonymous with racing shoes. Most people now consider whether a racing shoe has a carbon plate as a basic standard. As HOKA's top racing product, the Carbon X also has a full-length carbon plate. The carbon plate is designed with a hook shape that bends on the side of the toes to reduce foot rotation. Combined with Meta-Rocker rolling balance technology, it reduces the ground contact time of the runner's feet, increases rebound and propulsion, and provides a good running experience.

The forefoot height of the Carbon X is 27mm, and the heel height is 32mm. This 5mm drop allows the runner's body center of gravity to lean slightly forward, reducing dependence on the shoe's cushioning and support, giving the runner a rolling forward state, closer to a natural running posture, and enhancing the runner's own push-off power.

The product uses a rubberized EVA outsole with good stability, which is not only durable and wear-resistant but also more flexible and agile during exercise. To some extent, it also enhances the product's rebound performance. The outsole pattern uses a diamond-cut design, and large areas of protrusions are added around to improve the outsole's grip.

The most significant impression of HOKA shoes is probably their thick soles. In our impression, racing shoes generally have thinner soles. As a racing shoe, the Carbon X's thick sole may be questioned by many people. However, there is a reason for its thickness, and this is also the biggest selling point and technological content of HOKA running shoes. As mentioned earlier, the Carbon X's sole is divided into three layers: the upper layer is soft foam, the lower layer is a wear-resistant rubber outsole, and the carbon fiber plate is embedded between the two layers. This maximizes both speed and cushioning. We often say that you can't have both fish and bear's paw, but I think HOKA has achieved this. As for why I say this, let's continue to look down.

Generally speaking, we are used to evaluating the quality of a pair of shoes from aspects such as lightweight, comfort, breathability, shock absorption, rebound, and wear resistance. As a racing shoe, we add speed as an evaluation standard for the Carbon X.

Lightweight. The first feeling when holding the shoes is lightness. Of course, this lightness is relative. The pair I got is US10 (size 44), and the shoes weigh about 248 grams. This weight is actually slightly heavier than other racing shoes I have worn (the Carbon Rocket is 237 grams, and the Tracer 2 is 230 grams). However, I still feel that the hand feel is light, perhaps because the lightweight fabric interferes with the senses. Here, I also need to explain that when buying HOKA shoes, you must carefully compare the size chart provided by the brand and distinguish between European sizes and common sizes because the size marked on the shoe box is European size, not the common size we usually refer to.

Comfort. What I like most about HOKA shoes is their wrapping. Sometimes it even feels like they are custom-made, especially after adjusting the tightness of the laces. Although the Carbon X's tongue is very thin, there is no feeling of foot pressure. Even though my feet are relatively wide and thick, the forefoot does not feel constrained. The shoe's fabric fits the foot very well. During running, this fit brings great comfort, keeping the foot stable inside the shoe without wobbling, especially when running on curves on the track. This characteristic is particularly prominent.

Breathability. Because the product uses single-layer engineered fabric, especially the upper and tongue parts, which are particularly soft and thin, sometimes I even worry about accidentally tearing it. Since I am in a northern city, the race season is basically over when winter comes, and I mainly focus on mileage and intensity in daily training. I rarely participate in southern races due to the large temperature and humidity differences. Based on my previous understanding of HOKA racing shoes, I ran a half-marathon pace with the shoes to break them in and adapt to their performance in various aspects, as well as to feel the pace I could handle. The temperature was about -3°C during the run. Although I wore thick compression socks, my feet still felt a bit cold when I first went out. However, after three kilometers, as the intensity increased, I started to sweat, and my feet no longer felt cold. After the run, I observed the shoes and socks, which remained basically dry. It might also be because of the cold, resulting in less sweat, but the breathability of the shoes cannot be denied.

Shock absorption. For a top racing shoe, shock absorption is not optional. On the contrary, if anyone can combine shock absorption and speed well, I think it must be HOKA. The Carbon X inherits this well. As mentioned earlier, its sole is designed with three layers: a thickened foam upper layer and a rubber outsole lower layer. During running, each foot strike can feel the reduction of impact energy on the foot. However, this reduction is not as exaggerated as professional shock-absorbing running shoes but is fleeting and just right. This might also be because I am relatively heavy (145 pounds), and I can clearly feel the cushioning effect. If the runner is lighter, the feeling might not be as obvious.

Rebound. As a carbon plate shoe, rebound is its important characteristic. Everyone knows that any shoe will have a certain degree of rebound, but the degree of rebound varies. The biggest difference between ordinary running shoes and carbon plate running shoes lies here. When you gently fold the sole by hand, the Carbon X's sole hardly deforms due to the carbon plate. In fact, during warm-up, we can clearly feel its presence, making movements more crisp and neat without any drag. During high-intensity running, the shoes provided excellent feedback, especially when the pace was within 4 minutes. Most of the time, I landed on the forefoot or the entire foot, and the stride frequency decreased, but the stride length increased. The rebound force at the moment of landing was like a spring compressed to the extreme suddenly released, bursting out strong counterforce. Combined with the runner's push-off power, it allows the body to reach a certain height easily, thereby fully adjusting the body's posture in the air, achieving the best movement and posture.

Wear resistance. I tested the Carbon X three times in total: once for a half-marathon and twice for 20 kilometers, all at medium to high-intensity paces, with one run on a plastic track. Whether on asphalt roads or plastic tracks, the shoe's grip performance was excellent. It showed outstanding stability on curves and wet asphalt roads, especially on asphalt roads after rain, with little slippage even with strong push-off force. After 60 kilometers of running, the outer side of the outsole and the arch area showed some wear. I feel that the wear resistance needs improvement. Also, the protrusions on the outsole designed to increase grip are a bit thin and quickly wore down, limiting their effectiveness.

Speed. Undoubtedly, this is an essential quality for racing shoes. With the above characteristics, the Carbon X is especially suitable for marathon runners with a full marathon time within 3:30 or even 3:00. The carbon plate, combined with excellent wrapping and shock absorption, allows runners to have a more relaxed and natural running posture, more coordinated and powerful movements, and helps them break through themselves and achieve better results.

In the entertainment industry, looks and body shape are important, but in the running circle, speed is what matters. In this era where speed is king, scientific training can improve your performance, and top-notch equipment can also help you get ahead. You need both software and hardware. With such a pair of racing shoes with excellent appearance and performance, if I tell you that wearing them can help you improve your personal best by at least 10 minutes, would you choose them?